The answer depends on which clock you check.
 
If you check the U.S. Debt Clock, you might think it’s time to tighten our fiscal belts. According to that clock, the U.S. National Debt has grown $1.48 billion per day since September 29, 2006. That puts our debt at over $9 trillion. Some organizations, including one who counts among its members the former Chief Financial Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, says U.S. debt calculations should include expenses like social security and government pensions. When these are included, the U.S. Debt Clock reads $55 trillion!

If the Debt Clock doesn’t make you nervous, maybe the one maintained by the Board of Directors of the Bulletin for Atomic Scientists will. According to their Website, their clock “…conveys how close humanity is to catastrophic destruction—the figurative midnight—and monitors the means humankind could use to obliterate itself.” In January 2007 that clock was moved forward to five minutes to midnight. The statement about this change included the following sobering comments:

“We stand at the brink of a second nuclear age. Not since the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has the world faced such perilous choices. North Korea’s recent test of a nuclear weapon, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a renewed U.S. emphasis on the military utility of nuclear weapons, the failure to adequately secure nuclear materials, and the continued presence of some 26,000 nuclear weapons in the United States and Russia are symptomatic of a larger failure to solve the problems posed by the most destructive technology on Earth.”

Before you dismiss this as hyperbole, consider a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin made less than two weeks ago: “A new round of the arms race is developing in the world. Russia will start production of new types of arms, with the same or even superior specifications compared to those available to other nations.” The Bulletin for Atomic Scientists reports that “50 of today’s nuclear weapons could kill 200 million people.” What possible use could anyone have for weapons that are “superior” to these?

The Bible foretells of a time when such weapons will be used. It will be a time of “…great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

But when will this happen? God, in His wisdom, has not told us. But despite the fact that we don’t know the exact time—or perhaps because we can’t know it—the Bible gives us an urgent or persistent admonition to watch. We see this in Mark 13:33: “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” In Revelation 3:3, we are warned: “…if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief…”

What time is it now?

Now is the time to watch and be ready. Now is the time to be zealous and repent.

Now is NOT the time to forsake God’s way of life or His people, but to draw close, to stir up love and good works. Now is high time for us to be fully awake, for our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Now is the time–with all of our heart, our mind and our strength–to make our calling and election sure. If we will do this now, then “…an entrance will be supplied to [us] abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).

It is time for a reality check. The particular reality of concern is something that will happen in the future. It is an absolute certainty!

Here is perhaps the most succinct presentation describing the fate of some people: “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

The Bible nowhere describes or supports the concept of an ever-burning hell fire–or even a temporary hell, commonly called “purgatory”–in which bad people—”sinners”—will live for eternity while suffering the most excruciating and fiendish torture imaginable! However, the Word of God does reveal a penalty for sin, and that is death—utter destruction, an erasure of life and existence of any kind (compare Romans 6:23).

Concerning this bleak fate, it is avoidable. God has made it possible for humans to turn to their Savior, Jesus Christ, and, through repentance and the gift of the Holy Spirit, live righteous lives that will culminate in the gift of eternal life in the Family of God. God even says that He is, “…not willing that any should perish [in the lake of fire] but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Also, God “…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

“God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). That is certainly proven by what He has done for the world–in giving His Son (who had been with Him from eternity) as a sacrifice for the sins of all who would believe in and accept Jesus Christ as the Savior and Master of their lives (compare John 3:16).

Let’s not now take any of this precious knowledge or our unparalleled opportunity for granted! Nor should we allow ourselves to let down and fall away from the Truth of God! Rather, we must all be the “more diligent” to make our own “call and election sure, for if [we] do these things [we] will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to [us] abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (compare 2 Peter 1:10-11).

You see, this same God of love who has promised us eternal life, has also provided a solution for those who utterly reject Him, His Son and the glorious opportunity to live and serve in the Kingdom of God throughout the limitless future of eternity! That solution is eternal death! The lake of fire will be a real place, and those who rebel against God in utter defiance and intractable stubbornness will reap the frightful penalty of eternal destruction. They will become “ashes under the soles of… the feet” of the righteous (Malachi 4:3), and “they shall be as though they had never been” (Obadiah 16).

Just a bit of a reminder, a concerned warning—a reality check for each one of us to think about.

Sin! What a religious-sounding word! Many hear it and think immediately of hell and damnation. To be told that we have sinned may cause us to react with anger, defiance or rejection. We may become frustrated, disillusioned, discouraged and even depressed, thinking that all is lost. But we all have sinned, and we all still sin today–not, that we should sin, but we do. We should not take sin lightly, but we should not give up in hopelessness and despair when we don’t seem to get rid of sin as quickly as we would want to.

In the Bible, sin describes many facets of human life. Both in the Old and the New Testament, the most common expression for sin conveys the thought of having missed the mark. It does not necessarily refer to deliberate, malicious conduct, but rather to a failure, many times because of neglect, to achieve the desired success. We miss the mark because we may not be diligent enough to try to find it; we may not have enough of God’s help to be successful; or we may not be THAT much interested in succeeding. In the final analysis, we miss the mark because we do not realize that we NEED God’s help to be victorious; that our own will power and strength are NOT sufficient to succeed.

If we neglect to avail ourselves of the help that God is willing to offer us, we WILL fail. Of course, we cannot expect to receive God’s help if we are unwilling to obey Him. The idea that God accepts us “just as we are,” meaning that He does not require of us to obey Him and to overcome sin, is a Satanic deception, which is aimed at diminishing or quenching any zeal or effort on our part to get rid of sin. God tells us that we MUST overcome sin, and with His help, we CAN do so.

In order to become more and more perfect in our efforts to get rid of sin, we basically need to follow three steps: We need to see and acknowledge our sin; we must hate it enough to be willing to get rid of it; and finally, we must take action, because only those who DO God’s commandments will inherit eternal life.

But–for each of these three steps, God’s INVOLVEMENT is NECESSARY. To be able to see and acknowledge sin, God must show it to us. Generally, man is incapable of seeing himself as he really is. Secondly, we can only really hate our sin and obtain a desire to get rid of it, when God gives us such strong feelings and convictions. Man does not really hate sin–but God does. So, we must develop in us the mind of God to be able to think more and more, as God thinks. And finally, in order to take action and overcome sin in our lives, we need to accept God’s help. Man, left alone, is not able to forsake the wrong and do the right, unless he avails himself of God’s strength and USES it in his fight against sin.

God is willing to forgive us all of our sins, when we repent; that is, when we forsake what is wrong and begin to do what is right. However, God does not want us to sin. We are told not to sin. This shows that we CAN get rid of sin. We CAN hit the mark–we don’t HAVE to miss it and to fail. But in order to become victorious, we NEED to have God on our side.

Do YOU keep missing the mark? If you do, cast your burdens on God. Let HIM fight your battles for you–and follow His lead when He does.

Over the last few weeks in the UK, there has been an epidemic of lost data. In early December 2007, it was reported that two discs with details of 25 million child benefit claims had been lost in the mail. A leading politician stated that the missing 25 million details could be worth £1.5 billion to fraudsters. On December 17, a private contractor, working for the Driving Standards Agency, lost the personal details of 3 million people. The following day, the details of 4,000 patients went missing at the Stockport Primary Trust. And on January 18, 2008, it was revealed that the Ministry of Defense had lost details of 600,000 people. There have been quite a number of other cases, but the above examples serve to show the problems that are currently being experienced in the UK.

One of the areas that has come to the fore in recent years is the serious crime of identity fraud. This can be used, amongst other things, for bank accounts, national insurance numbers and fake passports. Confusion can abound about identity because of all of these problems.

But with God, there is no problem of fraudulent or lost data. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 2:11: “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” That spirit in man, which enables human beings to understand, create, plan and reason and which separates man from animals, goes back to God when man dies (Ecclesiastes 12:7). God knows each one of us, and our data is stored by man’s spirit.

Man loses data and commits identity fraud, but with God it is an entirely different story. God neither loses data nor is He fooled by people changing their identity. Through the spirit in man that God gives to us, our true and unique identities are being preserved. Those who have no belief in God rely on fellow man who makes such a mess of just about everything he touches. How grateful we should be that we can trust entirely in the great, perfect, eternal Creator God. We know that through Him, our future is secure.

One of the defining hallmarks of a Christian has to be his willingness to rise again after falling. As we walk the path of righteousness, there will be obstacles along the way. There is a good chance that, no matter how diligent we are, we will fall. This is not the end of the world. As much as we try to steady ourselves, we eventually will go down. The key is to get back up.

Proverbs 24:16 states, “For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again….” The Christian has a duty to get back up. We are not allowed to wallow in pity or any other self deprecating behavior, but rather pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and move on.

This is made all the easier by the fact that we have a loving Father who will rescue us in our time of need. In Job 5:19 we find a complementary Scripture, “He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.” So, for all seven times that we fall into trouble, God will be there for us. All we need to do is avail ourselves of this option.

David explained: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalms 34:19). Brethren and co-workers in Christ, let us continue to seek God while He may be found–in the good times and the bad; when we are up and when we are down. The biggest mistake that we can make may not be the one that caused us to fall, but the one that kept us from getting back up.

Christ gave the disciples of His time the admonition to watch  (Mark 13:33), and He subsequently expanded this command to all of His disciples at all times  (Mark 13:37). Yet, what we see today is an array of people not following His instruction. Rather, they are focusing on peripheral areas, and not on the crucial aspects of what is happening in the world. 

Some are caught up in conspiracy theories; the Illuminati; a future world government originating with the United Nations; or the twenty richest people in the world who are believed to have some unrevealed plot to establish a world government. Even if there was an element of truth to some of the plans or plots of certain groups or organizations in this regard, this is not where events are going to eventually transpire. All of these theories are basically distractions to keep one’s mind away from the areas where prophecy will occur. Satan is doing a good job of keeping people’s minds–including the minds of some converted Christians–off from those critical areas.

Where many fail to watch and where the Bible clearly points to, is the development of a United  Europe. A strong political leader of German ancestry will emerge from within a United Europe, and a strong religious leader will arise in Rome. They comprise the “beast” and the “false prophet,” as they are called in Revelation 13:4-6, 11-16. They will be working together with the goal to dominate the world. They will be influenced and inspired to act by the powerful god of this world, Satan the devil. 

Another area where all these theories take one’s mind off, deals with future events in the Middle East. Europe and the Middle East are two of the predominant areas where prophecy will be fulfilled. World government truly is coming, but not in the form most believe. It is coming when Christ returns and when He establishes the Kingdom of God on this earth.

True Christians are told not only to watch, but they have the added responsibility of being involved. The Church of God has been given mainly two commissions–or two aspects of the Great Commission. First, it is to preach and publish the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world, but only as a witness (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10, Authorized Version); that is, it is not to try to proselytize, browbeat, coerce, or use threats, but rather, it is to make the truth available. The Church’s second responsibility is to feed the flock or the sheep, as Christ told  Peter in John 21:15-17. These are the criteria by which the Church as a whole is judged.

Our individual responsibility is to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), and to support the efforts of the Church through our prayers, tithes and offerings, and through whatever physical help we might be able to give. Anything that distracts us from these clearly defined goals will only lead to our downfall as individual members of the Church. And if a Church organization was to fall into the trap of being distracted from its commission by ignoring parts of it, or by substituting it with something else, then it, too, will ultimately cease to be a tool in God’s hands, in furtherance of His plan–even though the organization itself might thrive and become increased in wealth, riches and prestige.

That’s why it is so important to focus on the task at hand and to watch with understanding and consider the signs of the time, rather than being distracted by the conspiracy theories offered by Satan. The key question is, are we watching and being involved, or are we focusing our attention in wrong areas, which will only diminish our abilities to remain focused on the important things and remain effective in what we are doing?

Paul asked the question in 1 Corinthians 5:6-7: “…Do you not know that a little leaven [notice the word “little”] leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven…” From this and other Scriptures we see that at times, leaven pictures sin. Purging out is of necessity a daily process of change—of persistent commitment to the responsibilities of our calling, including repentance from sin. Just a little leaven is all it takes to manifest sin. Paul tells us further in Romans 12:2 that we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind; i.e., by focusing on change. That transformation is the process of turning away from what is not acceptable in God’s eyes. It is an ongoing aspect of our everyday life. This can only be done through the help of the Holy Spirit.

This act of change starts in our mind. Aside from repenting of sin, there are other areas we may need to focus on, including our attitude, our prayer life, endurance in the face of trials, and faith. There should be no question that the outcome of our lives over the next few years depends on our willingness to continue to change—to shift our attitude and our actions in line with God’s ways. Unfortunately, it seems so easy to do otherwise. However, we either accept God’s ways and adhere to them, or we are on the road to failure. It is that serious.

Man’s value systems are geared around a kind of trinity of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (compare 1 John 2:16). That pretty well sums up the scope of man’s sins, doesn’t it? Lust and pride. While converted Christians are changing, they are still in that process of perfecting their lives.

Can we think of anything in our life that might well be holding us back from complete harmony with God? We need to think hard about that. It will take some honest self-examination as we match our life against God’s Word.

Paul congratulated the Church at Corinth on their conduct of change by stressing their diligence, their clearing of themselves, their fear, vehement desire, zeal, and their vindication  (compare 2 Corinthians 7:11). If Paul was alive today, could he say that about all of us?

We need to focus on positive change, of turning around from this world’s ways, from unrighteousness, and from obsession with physical things, to unconditional surrender of our life and of our will to God. Nothing else will work to guarantee our future. God knows our frame, and He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us along the way. He wants us to succeed. Dare we let Him down?  Dare we let ourselves down? There really is no other acceptable alternative, is there?

It has been said correctly that when our reason becomes sufficient we can change. What greater reason could we have to focus on change than what lies up ahead for us?

You could just quit! Among our options is to give up, to throw in the towel or to weakly accept defeat.

Being called by God leads us into a very challenging way of living. We are instructed to seek  the perfection of God; that is, we are to live our lives overcoming imperfection (compare Matthew 5:48).

This is not easy! In fact, the struggle is, as we say, 24/7–night and day, every day! Jesus stated this concept a little bit differently, but the impact of what He said is also all-consuming: “‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it'” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Don’t expect it to be easy, but at the same time, don’t expect to fail–do not approach life with a defeatist attitude. That mind-set is the ultimate tool of Satan!

Paul reassured himself and us with this inspiring truth:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39).

Can you do this–can you believe that God has called you with His personal conviction that you can be a part of His Family and that His limitless power is available to assure that you will have a place in His Kingdom?

Finally, let me ask, “What can you do?” Let us all answer as Paul answered: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

(Español: Navidad – ¿Secular o cristiana?)

Recently, a minister of one of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations was quoted in the press as saying that Christmas was a “secular holiday.”  Subsequently, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported that, according to the Pope, Christmas was “a Christian feast.” To explain its “Christian nature,” the Pope stated that Christmas “symbols, especially the Nativity scene and the tree hung with gifts, are important references to the great mystery of the Incarnation and the Birth of Jesus.” He added that the “ancient fir” or Christmas tree “is an important symbol of Christ’s Nativity because with its evergreen leaves it recalls the life that does not die.”

So who is right–newscasters and commentators who refer to Christmas as a “secular” or “national holiday,” or religious leaders who emphasize the “Christian nature” of Christmas? Surprising to many, perhaps, the answer is, neither is correct.

Christmas is not a secular holiday. It is clearly religious–even though in our modern civilized Western world, commercialism and other mundane secular activities may have, in many cases, covered or hidden the religious nature and character of Christmas. But to say that the second-most important feast of orthodox Christianity (Easter being regarded as the most important feast) is merely a secular observance, misunderstands the roots and origins of Christmas–and plays into the hands of advocates who want to keep Christmas celebrations alive even amongst those who object to them on religious grounds.

Christmas is not a Christian Holy Day either–at least not in the way in which the Bible defines true Christianity. A true Christian is one in whom Christ’s Spirit dwells (Romans 8:9)–a true Christian obeys Christ (John 15:14), believes and abides in His Word and follows His lead (John 8:31; 1 Peter 2:21). And Christ–the spoken and written Word of God (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1-3; Revelation 19:1-3)–commanded His followers NOT to keep Christmas. The reasons for this prohibition are many, as fully explained in our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

Christmas is a religious holiday, all right–but it is pagan to the core. It did not originate with Christ’s birth. Gentiles already observed it in honor of their pagan gods long before Christ’s First Coming. The ancient Christmas tree was used in those pagan celebrations for the purpose of worshipping pagan gods. In fact, pagans believed that their particular god changed into a tree–that he was living in that tree–hence the decoration of the fir tree with gifts in honor of that pagan god (who was known in different cultures under different names, such as Mythra, Attis, Dionysus, Marduk, Baal and Nimrod). These are FACTS–if one cares to know. And the Bible condemns and ridicules the Gentile custom of cutting a tree and decorating it with gold and silver (compare Jeremiah 10:1-5).

The truth is the truth–and no label, pro or con, changes the facts. Christmas is not a secular or national holiday, but it is a religious festival; however, it is pagan, not truly Christian. To use pagan practices, in honor of pagan gods, and apply them to the worship of Christ is in direct violation of Christ’s explicit commands (compare Deuteronomy 12:29-32). Christ said that we worship Him in vain, if we do this (compare Mark 7:6-9).

Here is your challenge: Whom do you want to believe–a man and man-made traditions… or the Jesus Christ of your Bible? For a true Christian, the answer should be obvious.

The vast majority who read our Update seem to appreciate all of the information and the considerable amount of work that goes into producing this publication on a weekly basis. We know that there are a few who also read our Update looking to try to find fault.   Any difference in understanding, however minute, can be seized upon as justification of a personal stance as this information is circulated to their own audience.   And as often happens, it can be slanted to suit a particular position.   The outcome is often that of division and can be used as self justification.   A little more study of God’s Word and a little less of personal opinions would do the world of good.   The people of God should know better, but the lessons of history never seem to be learned.

Unfortunately, some very basic Biblical admonitions and instructions are completely ignored in this process.   The Bereans (compare Acts 17:10-11) adopted the position of trying to find out “whether these things were so,” indicating a positive approach.   It is the negative approach that is always looking for fault.   The Scriptural approach is set out in many places, and one of the wise sayings of Solomon, found in Proverbs 10:12, is helpful in this regard: “Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.”   This should be the way that one should react–to soften, to cushion, to heal–not to try and broadcast any real or imagined differences which may inflate, in one’s eyes, his own ego, importance or position, but which does precisely nothing to enhance unity in the Body of Christ.   Paul writes: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).   This instruction by Paul is well known to Church of God members but can just as easily be either forgotten or ignored.   We are told to live in peace (2 Corinthians 13:11), but that cannot be achieved when someone is always looking for faults.  Christ told the accusers of the woman caught in adultery that “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7).

Scripture clearly reveals that “the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12) and that “the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service” (John 16:2).   So we shouldn’t be surprised at the attitudes of those who are always looking for fault which is probably a precursor for much worse to come.

Next time you see negative criticism emanating from a Church of God member, website or church organization–ask yourself why this is being done and whether it is something that is pleasing in the sight of God.   The answer should be inescapable; otherwise, our knowledge of God’s Word is deficient.   Rather than following the negative example of those who criticize, let us take the right approach and try, at all times, to be a thoroughly positive influence.   God will surely be pleased with that–and with us.